vacationing in a scottish castle

Sometimes a girl dreams up something crazy like spending her 33rd birthday in a castle in Scotland. And then, sometimes, dreams come true and the whole family decides it sounds like a good vacation as well. They day after my birthday, I jumped on a plane, hopped over the pond, and made my way to what remains of Rosslyn Castle, just outside of Edinburgh, Scotland.

What, you wonder, do you do in a castle for a week? You ignore the world and revel in the history that took place where you are living and eating and sleeping. You take your nephew on adventures with mud and rain and ruins. You drink cups of tea (and coffee) while eating crumpets with jam and scones with clotted cream. You explore Rosslyn chapel (where the Da Vinci Code was filmed), have drinks at the exclusive Scottish Malt Whiskey Society, and walk to the local pub for fish & chips, vegetarian haggis and pints of cider. You discover what ‘castle cold’ really means and learn to close shutters and doors to keep the heat in. You eat meals and laugh and play games with your family. All while living in a castle.

It was a lovely week and I am grateful for these shared memories. As I sit writing this, it seems to me that stories like these are beautiful and precious reminders to keep dreaming. To be audacious in our dreaming. If we do not dream, our dreams can never come true. This is not a fairy tale—I think we normally have to work for our dreams and that they rarely happen on their own. But, if we do not dream, a dream can never come true. May we all choose to keep dreaming audacious and crazy dreams. Sometimes they come true.